Predictably, the mainstream media are portraying the Paul campaign’s victory as the less- important story. This line from a CBS News story is an example of the bias: “With the Libertarian-leaning Paul seen as unlikely to win the party's nomination, the second-place finish will be seen as a victory for Huntsman, the former ambassador to China who is announcing his presidential campaign next week.”

No matter how detractors diminish the importance of the victory (the LA Times says of straw polls: “They mean absolutely nothing about winning actual delegates to the Republican National Convention”), there is no debating the attention that Dr. Paul’s straw poll success will draw for his campaign.

Perhaps the most important fact underlying Ron Paul’s straw poll victory is the average age of the substantial bloc of supporters that carried him to the first-place finish.

I’ve spent three days at the Republican Leadership Conference and I would (unscientifically) estimate that the average age of the delegates (not counting the Ron Paul supporters) is between 60 and 65. An uninformed observer would be excused for mistaking the group for attendees at an AARP convention.

Ron Paul’s supporters are another story, however. From my own observation, I would estimate the average age of the “Ron Paul 2012” crowd to be about 30 or 35. They are active, loud, animated, and dedicated.

In fairness, they likely don’t have the money of their older colleagues, but they have the zeal of youth and their behavior at the RLC witnesses their intention to promote the cause of their man’s candidacy no matter how well-established the opposition.

Additionally, this latest stunning victory will likely give an even bigger bounce to the Paul campaign and will further energize his already pumped up boosters, and they may use this fuel to propel their ultimate goal of getting the good doctor elected in November 2012.

However, they do serve to call weekend media attention to a successful candidate. And, Paul's supporters hope, cause them to look more into Paul's libertarian small government, anti-war, anti-foreign-military-involvement stances, which drew him significant applause during Monday's debate in New Hampshire.

November 2012 is a long time away, but in these early days of the race for the White House, straw polls are at least one accurate indication of the ability of the candidates on the ballot to get out the vote...MORE...LINK